The present invention relates to a support device for percussion instruments, and more particularly to a support device for marching tenor drums.
A set of marching tenor drums comprises four to six drums linked in an arc shape, and the player plays carrying these drums on his body while walking. This set of drums should keep its arc shape against the vibration occurring from the player's walking and beating, and yet the position and posture of each individual drum should be controlled as required.
FIG. 16 shows such a drum set 121. The drum set 121 comprises four larger-diameter drums 122 through 125 arranged in an arc shape and a small-diameter drum 126 surrounded by these larger-diameter drums 122 through 125. A support device 131 supporting the drum set 121 comprises a frame 132 worn by the player and three hinge portions 133, 134 and 135 each turnably linking adjoining ones of the larger-diameter drums 122 through 125.
As shown in FIG. 17, the frame 132 comprises a pair of right and left arms 136 extending in the lengthwise direction and support pieces 137 each fitted to one end of the two arms 136 via an L-shaped holder 139. A substantially cylindrical holding portion 138 forbearing a J-shaped rod of a drum carrier (not shown) protrudes from the holder 139. The holder 139 is fixed to the support piece 137 and is slidable on the arm 136. Each support piece 137 has an elongated hole 142, and the elongated holes 142 allow a bracket 141 turnably supporting the larger-diameter drums 122 and 125, situated at the two ends of the arc-shaped array, to slide.
When the player wears the supporting device 131, the larger-diameter drums 122 through 125 and the small-diameter drum 126 are positioned in front of him.
In the support device 131, when the brackets 141 are slid back and forth along the elongated holes 142, the positions of the larger-diameter drums 122 through 125 can be adjusted back and forth. When the holders 139 are slid laterally relative to the arms 136, the positions of the larger-diameter drums 122 through 125 can be adjusted laterally via the brackets 141.
In the support device described above, the larger-diameter drums 122 through 125 are turnably linked by the hinge portions 133, 134 and 135. For this reason, if the drums are slid forward or backward to adjust their positions in the back-and-forth direction, the larger-diameter drums 122 through 125 will irregularly moved. Also when adjusting the positions of the drums laterally, the sliding of the holders 139 will cause the larger-diameter drums 122 through 125 to move irregularly.
The aforementioned undesirable motions of the drums will be described below in more detail. Suppose that the larger-diameter drums 123 and 124 in the center area are in their desired positions in the back-and-forth direction and need to be controlled only laterally. If the holders 139 are slid here on the arms 136, the larger-diameter drums 123 and 124 will move indeterminately to vary their positions in the back-and-forth direction.
Further, if the holders 139 are slid on the arms 136 when adjusting the positions of the larger-diameter drums 123 and 124 laterally, since one end of a rod 200 supported by the holding portions 138 of the holders 139 is fitted to the carrier, the distance between the player and the frame 132 will vary, eventually changing the positional relationship between the player and each drum. Whereas the positions of the drums including the small-diameter drum 126 in the back-and-forth direction may be sometimes adjusted by sliding the holder 139, the positional relationships of the drums will also vary in this case because sliding the holders 139 would vary the length of the frame 132.
In this way, when the position of each of the larger-diameter drums 122 and 125 at both ends is to be adjusted in the lateral direction or that of the whole drum set is to be adjusted in the back-and-forth direction, there is a problem that adjustment is difficult because sliding destabilizes the motions of the individual drums (especially the two larger-diameter drums 123 and 124 at the center).
Further, when the holders 139 are slid in such a positional adjustment, the force working in the lateral direction due to that sliding acts as a torque on the hinge portions 133 through 135. When a torque works on the hinge portions 133 through 135, they turn in unpredictable manners. The support device 131, having many such hinge portions, lacks in stability.
Moreover, the configuration of the support device is complex, involves many members resulting in a heavy total weight for the device, imposing a heavy load on the player.